nashuaworldcup Chapter 742 Rectifying Officialdom
Chapter 742 Rectifying Officialdom
Chapter 742 Rectifying Officialdom
Wang Wenzhou stood on the podium with a baby in each arm. Below him, civil and military officials sat on small stools like primary school students, each one furious.
To be honest, anyone would be angry in this situation. Every single person present was a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Even the lowest-ranking official was a fourth-grade rank, yet they had been made fools of by Wang Wenzhou. How could they not be angry?
Despite this, no one dared to disobey, as Wang Wenzhou was acting on imperial orders. Anyone who resisted would be defying the imperial decree. Of course, given the nature of Ming Dynasty civil officials, disobeying imperial orders was quite normal. However, in this matter, no one could find a moral high ground, since Zhu Youjian was exhausted from personally doing farm work; otherwise, he would have been present.
Zheng Sanjun thought about it and actually found a reason to question Wang Wenzhou: what qualifications did Wang Wenzhou have to be a teacher? In terms of age, Wang Wenzhou was only in his early twenties; in terms of seniority, how many days had he been an official?
Thinking of this, Zheng Sanjun gently nudged Kong Zhenyun, who was sitting beside him, and said softly, "Lord Kong! The Emperor wants us to study and reflect on our mistakes, and I agree. But how can Wang Wenzhou be a teacher? In terms of talent and seniority, only you in our Great Ming Dynasty are qualified to lecture the officials. What makes Wang Wenzhou so special?"
Kong Zhenyun nodded. Although he understood that Zheng Sanjun was using him as a pawn, he had no choice but to step forward. After all, he was the Grand Secretary of the court. If he didn't step forward, what kind of Grand Secretary would he be?
Kong Zhenyun stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Wang..."
Before Kong Zhenyun could finish speaking, Wang Wenzhou pointed at him and angrily reprimanded him, "Kong Zhenyun, didn't you hear what I just said? Pay attention to taking notes in class. You are not allowed to interrupt me when I am speaking! If you have something to say, you must raise your hand and ask for permission. You may only speak when I tell you to!"
"Pfft..." Everyone present was both amused and exasperated.
In the Ming Dynasty, teachers were incredibly powerful! Only Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents, and teachers could command someone's utmost respect. The crowd was furious; Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, was utterly shameless, constantly trying to take advantage of them.
If Wang Wenzhou's reputation as a teacher is confirmed, everyone present will avoid him from now on. Even if a teacher is terrible, students have no choice but to tolerate it. Otherwise, they'll be considered treacherous and disloyal!
"Hmph!" Yang Changsi sneered and said angrily, "Wang Wenzhou, you mad dog, like a clown, dare to call yourself a teacher in front of your colleagues! You're not worthy!"
"How dare you!" Wang Wenzhou pointed at Yang Changsi and shouted angrily, "This student is outrageous! Not only does he disrupt the class, but he also dares to insult the teacher! Guards, drag him away and give him twenty lashes!"
As soon as Wang Wenzhou finished speaking, Jiang Zhenghe waved his hand, and three Imperial Guards rushed forward.
"How dare you! I am the Minister of War, who would dare to act recklessly?" Yang Changsi said angrily.
Jiang Zhenghe quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a wry smile, "Lord Yang, please calm down. Lord Wang is acting under imperial orders, and we have no choice but to obey!"
Yang Changsi was at a loss, since Wang Wenzhou was in the right. He could only look at Kong Zhenyun with pleading eyes.
Kong Zhenyun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Lord Wang, please stop this nonsense! The Emperor organized this training course so that colleagues could learn from each other and discuss their experiences in governance. How can you act so impulsively?"
Wang Wenzhou curled his lips and said, "Old Kong, I know you're a nice guy and not a member of the Donglin Party. Why are you getting involved?"
"Lord Kong, please come here for a moment. I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately!" Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Kong Zhenyun.
Kong Zhenyun thought for a moment. Although Wang Wenzhou was a mad dog, he knew him well. When he went to Liaodong and South Korea, he witnessed firsthand Wang Wenzhou's loyalty to the country. He felt that perhaps the Emperor had something to say to him.
Thinking of this, Kong Zhenyun quickly walked to Wang Wenzhou's side and asked softly, "What do you want to say, Lord Wang?"
“Old Kong! We’ve worked together before!” Wang Wenzhou said, putting his hand on Kong Zhenyun’s shoulder and putting his arm around him. He said in a serious tone, “Do you think I would dare to torture a high-ranking official without the Emperor’s permission?”
"Ah?" Kong Zhenyun said in surprise, "Is this true? Why is the Emperor so tyrannical?"
Wang Wenzhou complained, "Old Kong, a subject shouldn't slander the emperor like that!"
Kong Zhenyun smiled bitterly to himself. "Wang Wenzhou, you mad dog, you dare to curse at the Emperor in the court, and now you dare to lecture me?"
Wang Wenzhou said in a serious tone, "Old Kong, although you've only been the Grand Secretary for a few days, you should know that the national treasury is out of money again!"
"Yes!" Kong Zhenyun nodded.
Wang Wenzhou continued, "Tens of millions of taels of silver! It was all spent in just one year! The court's annual revenue is only four or five million taels of silver. Tens of millions of taels of silver is more than ten years' worth of revenue for the court. Where did this money go?"
If you were to throw silver at someone, even a hundred taels of silver, while not enough to kill, would certainly injure them. Yet, tens of millions of taels of silver were lost, and the Tartars in Liaodong suffered no losses whatsoever. Just days ago, the Tartars had annihilated Lu Xiang-sheng's troops, and Lord Lu had died a martyr!
Kong Zhenyun nodded; he knew all about these things.
“The Emperor isn’t stupid, and he can’t find out exactly where the money went. But one thing is certain: all the civil and military officials present have embezzled a lot of money!” Wang Wenzhou’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was filled with anger.
Kong Zhenyun quickly retorted, "Lord Wang, I am not that kind of person!"
"Pat pa!" Wang Wenzhou patted Kong Zhenyun on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Old Kong, the Emperor knows that you have always been honest and upright and do not form cliques, which is why he made you the Grand Secretary! To tell you the truth, the Emperor set up this study class so that civil and military officials can examine each other's mistakes and expose each other's faults!"
The shady dealings within officialdom are best understood by those in power. How much money they've embezzled, and how they amassed it—only their closest colleagues know the truth.
Kong Zhenyun frowned and asked doubtfully, "Boxin, is this really true?"
Wang Wenzhou solemnly said, "Old Kong, others may not understand me, but don't you? You went to Liaodong back then, and I risked my life for the Ming Dynasty! That's why, even though I had conflicts with the Emperor, he still entrusted me with such a difficult task."
"Yes!" Kong Zhenyun nodded. Others might not know the details of the feud between Wang Wenzhou and Zhu Youjian, but as a high-ranking official, he knew it perfectly well. In the end, it all came down to one woman! What a source of trouble! The Ming Dynasty almost perished because of her!
Wang Wenzhou continued his deception: "Old Kong, I know you too. You're different from those bastards in the Donglin Party. You're loyal to the emperor and love your country. So this time, you have to help me! The emperor wants to rectify officialdom, not only making those corrupt officials return the money they've embezzled, but also dismissing them from their posts to give the people justice!"